Audi A7 4G8 bucket seat guide

The Planted SB342 at 185.50 pounds per seat, listed for the A7, the S7 and the RS7 together, built 2010 to 2017. It bolts to the factory seat mounting points in place of the standard runners, so a standard floor needs no drilling. It is priced per seat with a driver side or passenger side option, so changing both front seats means two lines with the right side picked on each.

Yes. Planted list all three badges on one part, which is unusual for them and makes this car simpler than most. The floor is the same across the range. If you want it confirmed against your specific car, send us the registration and we will check it before anything ships.

Usually, but it is the thing to check first on this car rather than last. The frame drops you lower than the standard seat, which helps, but a competition shell with a high base and tall bolsters gives some of that back. If you are tall or a helmet is going on, measure the space above your head before you order. Tell us your height and what the car is used for and we will point you at the shells that suit.

Planted do not publish one for SB342. That is the honest answer and we would rather give it than repeat a guess. It matters because the reclining seats on this page sit on four different patterns, from 291mm x 330mm to 405mm x 280mm. If you are pairing a base mount seat with this frame, send us both part numbers and we will get the pattern confirmed by Planted before you buy either. If you are using side mounts it does not apply.

The Planted listing says the seat mounts to the frame either directly or on side mounts, so both routes are open. Of the buckets here only the Cobra Monaco Pro is listed for base mount as well as side mount, so that is the one seat that goes straight on. Everything else needs a set of side mounts, which start at 39 pounds.

It depends what you want from it. If the standard bolsters have gone soft on a high mileage car, a reclining sport seat on the frame fixes it and keeps everything the car is good at. If you have an S7 or RS7 and find yourself bracing against the door on a fast road, a proper bucket is the answer. What we would steer you away from is a fixed back competition shell in a car that mainly does long journeys, because you will lose more than you gain.

Motordrive do not publish a mounting type for either the Club Pro or the Club Race, and no driver height or waist figure either. Both are listed FIA 8855-1999. We are not going to guess at how they fix, so if one of those is the seat you want, ask us and we will get it confirmed with Motordrive before you order.

The Mirco RTS-2 Velour at 349 pounds and the Sparco Circuit II QRT at 468 pounds both cover 32in to 36in and 36in to 40in on the same listing, so they suit a range of builds. The Corbeau Sprint X System 5 XL covers 36in to 40in and the OMP ARS-R 36in to 38in. Among the reclining seats the three Corbeaus cover 32in to 38in. The A7 is wide inside, so width is rarely the constraint here. Height usually is.

Corbeau list several of theirs as two seats on one line. The PSR at 465 pounds, the two Sportline RRS at 830 pounds and the two SVR Vinyl at 850 pounds are each a pair, so halve the figure for a per seat comparison. The PSR pair works out at a shade over 233 pounds a seat, which is the cheapest way to change both front seats on this car. If you only want one, ask us first, because some of the single listings have been retired.

Only if you add a runner. Side mounts on their own hold the seat in one place, which sits lower and suits a car one person drives. The Sparco sliding runner kit at 34.95 pounds is the usual answer under a base mounted seat, and the Cobra premium runners at 70 pounds are the better made option under a Cobra seat. Neither is FIA approved, so treat both as road and trackday parts. On a car used for the distances an A7 covers, the adjustment is worth having.

No. There is no car specific belt for the A7, so you are fitting a universal harness and working out the mounting yourself. A Sportback is an awkward shape for it, because there is no bulkhead behind the rear seats the way a saloon has one. Send us a photo of the area behind your front seats and we will tell you what will work, including whether it is worth doing on your car.

No, and we would rather say so than point you at something built for a different car. If you need an anchorage for the shoulder straps, a fabricated harness bar made to fit is the usual answer and a much smaller job than a cage, though on a Sportback it takes a bit more working out than on a saloon. Ask us and we will tell you what we have seen work on this shell.

Usually yes. The original buckle stays where it is while the seat around it moves, so once the seat is bolted down make sure you can reach the buckle one handed and that the shell is not fouling the stalk. Sort it while the trim is still out and it costs you two minutes instead of an evening.

The 4G8 is the first generation A7, built 2010 to 2017. It has the long unbroken fastback roofline running into a small integrated boot spoiler that rises at speed, frameless side windows and a wide low single frame grille. The second generation arrived in 2018 with sharper, more angular lights. The frames are chassis specific, so if there is any doubt send us the registration.